This week's practical test was quite tough and I barely managed to pass. I think I was careless because I missed out on a few steps and configured a wrong ip address during the exam. Something to learn from this is to be more careful in answering exam questions involving ip addresses before I submit them for grading.

NE trip to Bedok NEWater plant and Marina Barrage was a great experience. I have been to Marina Barrage many times before but not the NEWater plant. The trip was very informative and I learnt a lot about why water is an important resource Singapore has to secure. Without fresh water, a population cannot survive let alone the economy of Singapore. Being dependent on others for water also makes us vulnerable to them as water is used as a bargaining card. Hence, it is important to secure this resource so as to safeguard our national interests.

Doing guard duty on Sunday is probably a sad thing for most people. However, I felt neutral about it, because the advantages and disadvantages had cancelled it other out.

The advantage was that food at the cookhouse was extremely special on Sunday. Roti prata for breakfast, western and Cornetto ice-cream cone and a can of Coca Cola for lunch. Jonah also allowed me to borrow his book: THE ULTIMATE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. This was a book I've been waiting to read! Plus, doing a one day duty as opposed to a 2 day half duty seemed much better. At least I will be a zombie on Monday rather than on two days. Monday was also a holiday.

Disadvantages include lack of sleep, the very boring sentry role, putting on some weight and involving swarms of insects especially mosquitos.

I will also touch on what I feel about my bunk mates in Bunk 4. Here goes:

Jerome: Funny and intuitive, quite hardworking. Easily approachable and amicable. He does not mind teaching others. Often studies with Benjamin in our bunk. Oh, sexually curious as well because he keeps asking questions on that subject.

Benjamin Ng: He is a quiet but amicable guy. Once you get to know him, he becomes more friendly. I think he is very resilient and hardworking too because he puts in a lot of effort during physical trainings and in revision. Often gets Jerome to study with him. He also likes Japanese girls very very much.

Jonathan Chan: Very vocal and extroverted. Likes korean pop culture and dances a lot. Enjoys interaction with people especially with our bunk people. Good friends with Fuji.

Jeremy: Easy-going and amicable. Quite humourous at times and serious when work needs to be done. Likes korean pop culture. He knows my OC from my BMT Coy.

Zheng An: Extroverted and hyperactive. He is a very friendly guy with a muscular body and an even bigger ego which is why he is so popular! He also like korean pop culture. Jerome likes to call him Mickey mouse.

Kok Kiong: He is always one of the first to finish his CCNA assignments! Has quite a serious attitude. I feel that he puts more effort into studying compared to PT but he is hardworking nevertheless.

Fuji: Probably the most extroverted and has the biggest ego in our bunk. He is like the life of bunk 4. Has a fiery fighting spirit and unfortunately a volatile temper to match. He is otherwise a very fun person to converse with. He likes korean pop culture very much too.

Whay Liang: Likes music, particularly korean pop. He is resposible, shy and enjoys watching anime.

Hello, my name is Leonard, or Tan Yoong Aunn. I was from Gryphon Coy in BMTC school 1, batch 02/12. I like sports, especially frisbee and captain's ball.

During my free time, I like to play computer games, read news or listen to music. Sometimes, I will jog for my own leisure along Punggol waterway. I used to be an Outdoors Activities Club member during my school days and I enjoyed activites such as nature hikes, night cycling and overseas camps. My favourite foods are mostly local hawker fare and fruits such as mango, durian and berries. I have a quiet nature and can bond well with friends.

Prior to my enlistment, I studied at NYJC, which has a really conducive environment for studying. Similarly, I feel the same way for Signal Institute. My first week here has been an eye-opener into the world of a signaler and his duties. I had not expected my new role to be so knowledge intensive. This week, I learnt to operate radio sets, properly communicate via voice procedures and about network protocols. I now understand that my role is an important one to play in the SAF, communication is crucial to winning a battle.

My platoon has a diverse mix of people of different backgrounds. I am glad that my platoon is the rowdy and enthusiastic type as it balances out the monotony of studying. I have gotten to know almost all my bunk mates, many whom have interesting stories to share with me. I also feel that my treatment at SI has greatly improved from BMTC. I am fortunate enough to have good food and enough admin time. My seargent is also very forgiving but I hope he will be a bit stricter so that there is a standard to uphold.

I also had my first IPPT at SI and im glad to say that I have improved. I hope to gradually train myself to be fitter. Also, I noticed that SI has very nice scenery as I ran my 2.4km.

Overall, I have only seen the tip of the iceberg at SI. I look forward to learning much more and making more friends. At the end of this course, I hope to learn useful skills through CCNA, become operationally ready and take away with me a memorable experience at SI.

Have a nice day.

Leonard.

Week 2:

Hello, this is Leonard! IS Operator in-training. This week's journey in IS has been a busy one, because we had to do much self studying and lectures.

I had my first taste of having tests in SI. I remember feeling worried about my voice procedure and radio practical tests this week. I usually use my admin time at night to revise my notes and i think that this helped me to pass my tests.My fellow bunk mates, being as clueless as I am, also made attempts to understand the topics being taught by doing further research on the Internet and by testing each other.

In addition to the tests, I've learnt much on OSI layers and their functions, modulation of radio waves, how transmitters and receivers work, MAESTRO etc. Also, I also learnt some Physics topics like radio wave propagation. I used to dislike Physics in Secondary school, but over this week, I have come to appreciate it more and accept its importance in this world.

My well-being in camp is well taken care of. Food is palatable and very much better than in BMTC, which I am very grateful for. I also sleep well, because each day's activities make the most of my energy. I am slowly getting to know more of my platoons mates, many with a good sense of humour. My buddy's attitude towards learning is also improving although he is stubborn at times. I will try my best to encourage him. The instructors were quite patient in teaching us and did not hesitate to answer our doubts.

PT this week has increased in intensity. It is exhaustive but it was good exercise. I believe that I can achieve a gold in IPPT in fututre.

I also had my first night's out this week, where I spent 2 hrs outside camp. I had my favourite bubble tea and bought some snacks. The night out was hard earned but was well worth it.

Overall, this week has been interesting but exhaustive. I must remember to study and rest well too. I have started my journey, I will enjoy it and complete it.

signing off.

Leonard

Week 3:

This week has been full of assessments and assignments, much like my JC days. Nevertheless, I'm coping well and studying hard in order to do well in my tests. My bunk mates give me much motivation to commit myself to learning as much as I can out of my stay here in SI.

I have since completed CCNA 1! Hooray! Next will be CCNA 2. I respect the instructors for being so patient. We are such a rowdy class and we ask so many questions. Sometimes too many questions. I especially liked their lessons where they introduced many hands on, packet tracer sessions. It was interesting to know how so many computers interact with each other all over the globe. The Internet truly is a fascinating invention!

I have also been helping my buddy cope with his studies, He is doing moderately well, because me and his friends have been nagging him to stop dozing off in classes. I hope he is motivated to keep up his performance! If not our nagging shall not end!

I have been slow to know more about many people in my platoon. But I have made many new friends and tried to interact with them more. My buddy on the other hand, has earned the irk of some because he lacks a sense of urgency. I discussed this issue with him yesterday and it seems that he is on time almost all the time today. Maybe this will allow him to be more respected in our platoon.

This week, I have learnt much about configuring routers, about the physical connections to routers, online games and much about Korean and Japanese popular culture. These are all popular topics to discuss before our daily dose of lectures and test.

Otherwise, this week has been challenging. I'm looking forward to the next week!

signing off

Leonard